to juxtapose two things for consideration, to my mind, is the best way to sharpen both one’s aesthetic and, therefore, spiritual personality, here, thus, are two contemporaneous, essentially, violin concertos, concerti, if you like, Paganini’s 5th, 1830, Beethoven’sOnly,1806

let me point out that the Classical Erais over at this point, this isn’t music for the courts any longer, but music as spectacle, you can hear it, it’s like moving from Frank Sinatra‘s nightclubs to David Bowie’s stadiums

noteworthy about these two pieces is that the structure in each is identical, the same lengthy introduction in the first movement, followed by an articulate, and eventually mesmerizing,elaboration on the initial melody by the soloist, with divergent, however, intentions, Paganini starts with a fanfare, promises histrionics, deliversfireworks, Beethovenbegins with portent, goes instead for drama, which is to say, your heart, as well

both their second and third movementsare essentially, then, indistinguishable conceptually, their last movement in either iseven arondo

the challenge in the Paganiniis physical,the glory is in the player’s technical prowess

with Beethoven the requirements are both physical and emotional, he punches for the heart, which the player must, therefore, with equally astounding panache, incidentally, also conquer

history has sided, however,with substance, Beethoven’s ViolinConcerto is everywhere, it isn’t at all easy, conversely, to come up with any of Paganini’s, despite their incontestablemagnificence

maybe it’s time for a Paganini revival, they did that several years ago for the inimitable Rossini, an effervescent light in an otherwise mostly dour 19th Century, listen,with counts and countesses herein attendance, at very, can you believe it, Versailles, wowR ! chard